More than 75 people gathered at the Watson Park Convention Centre in Queensland, Australia, for the 2023 Literature Ministry Summit.
Held from October 24 to 29, the event attracted 17 attendees under 30 years old, and a record number of 22 new literature evangelists (LEs), recruits and interests.
“The theme of this year’s summit was Messengers of Hope and it really reminded us of what working in literature ministry is about,” said Brenton Lowe, literature ministry coordinator for Australia and New Zealand. “It was a great opportunity to fellowship, listen to inspiring speakers and share encouraging testimonies.”
Two of the key speakers this year were Pastor Stephen Apola, associate publishing director for the General Conference, and Pastor Terry Johnson, president of the Australian Union Conference. Other speakers included authors Sukeshinie Goonatilleke and Dr Sue Radd, as well as Pastor Nicu Dumbrava.
“The LEs’ enthusiasm for people was infectious and inspiring,” said Pastor Johnson. “LEs are serious about sharing their faith and put themselves out there daily. Ministry can be emotionally, physically and spiritually draining, yet the passion that they demonstrate is lovely to see!”
Three innovative initiatives were launched at the summit: the 409 Bible Adventure Challenge, which encourages children of primary school age to read The Bible Story series by Arthur Maxwell; the Lift and ELIA project; and a new customer relationship management database called Salesforce.
“We’re looking forward to using these innovations and tools to modernise literature ministry and make sure that we keep up to date with sales techniques and technology,” said Mr Lowe. “This is the first time that LEs will have access to online courses that they can retail to their customers.”
An awards night on the Thursday evening was an opportunity to acknowledge the service of LEs and leaders including Tony Wall and Kevin Geelan’s 50 years of service for literature ministry. Other specific achievements included Sue Wilson’s award for the highest number of sales, the Western Australian Conference’s award for Youth Rush team of the year and Joshua Fawcett’s award for best new starting LE. On another evening, two new literature ministry Conference leaders (Sandy Wallis – Victoria and Georgia Kenny – Queensland) were dedicated.
Attendees expressed thankfulness for the opportunity to attend this year’s summit and for all the hard work put into organising it.
“What a positively inspirational summit,” commented LE Sue Wilson. “Thank you so much to Brenton, Gayle and Sandy, as well as all the other volunteers, for your hard work and commitment. Unforgettable!”
The 2024 summit will be held from October 2-5 in Victoria and will include a tour of Signs Publishing. People wishing to attend are encouraged to register their interest by visiting the Literature Ministry website.
